The speakers operate in stereo mode by default, but can be configured to operate monophonically if you want to place each cube in a different location. And although we didn’t have more than two speakers to test, Griffin’s marketing materials claim you can pair multiple sets of speakers to each base station to build a multi-room audio system. This feature would be much more interesting if Griffin also sold the speaker cubes separately, but they weren’t as of our deadline. (Update, 2/4/2008: Griffin has announced that Evolve add-on products will be available in March. Two speakers and a charging base will sell for $200, individual speaker cubes will sell for $100, and the charging base will go for $30).

The docking station (which measures 15.75 inches wide by 5.5 inches deep) has stereo analog RCA inputs for this purpose, as well as stereo analog RCA outputs. The latter, along with S- and composite video outputs, are useful for connecting your iPod to your home-theater system. The remote control that comes with the system uses RF, not infrared, which endows it with considerable range (150 feet unobstructed). It can adjust the 12-watt amplifier’s volume and control a docked iPod (volume up/down, play/pause, shuffle, next track, fast forward, and repeat).

If we were evaluating the Evolve solely on their wireless features, this $300 system would easily garner a Kick Ass award. But this device’s core function is to play music, and only the best speakers earn that honor from us. The Evolve’s don’t sound terrible, but they don’t knock our socks off, either. Our biggest complaint is deficient bass, which is likely a result of the cubes’ sealed enclosure. We don’t doubt the 3.5-inch drivers are big enough to movie the volume of air required to reproduce low frequencies—if there was a port or vent in the cabinets from which it could escape. The speakers get plenty loud, they just don’t have any bottom end.

But the Evolve’s wireless capabilities are so strong that we can accept its sonic deficiencies in many situations—such as while working out in the yard, lounging on the patio, or countless other places where dragging an extension cord and a conventional speaker system would be a pain in the patoot.

SPECS
	GRIFFIN EVOLVE
AMPLIFIER	12 watts (RMS)
DRIVERS	3.5-inch full range
BATTERY	Lithium-ion (rated for 10 hours)
AUDIO INPUTS/OUTPUTS	iPod dock, Stereo input and output (RCA)
VIDEO INPUTS/OUTPUTS	iPod dock, composite and S-Video outputs
Wireless	900MHz